Afflatus installs digital flexo pre-press from Esko

Afflatus has always been the frontrunner in adoption of best technology that can create a positive change in the industry. Flexo has been growing consistently in the flexible packaging industry. To cater to this demand and growth, Afflatus ventured into flexo platemaking system, said Arun Pandey, executive director, Afflatus Gravures.

Pandey added, “Esko is our obvious choice for flexo as it has the best technology and support. We were clearly impressed by their seamlessly integrated technology of pre-press software, high end CDI Crystal imager, breakthrough Crystal XPS UV LED exposure and plate cutting Kongsberg table. The new CDI Crystal 5080 XPS imaging and plate exposure system delivers unmatched quality, consistency and automation in flexo platemaking. The entire system is delivering wonderful results in flexo printing and being complimented by all our customers.”

Arnab Maiti, sales director, Esko, said, “Afflatus Gravures is a leading player in the flexible packaging supply chain and is known for its adoption of sophisticated, state-of-the-art solutions from leading global OEMs. When it decided to foray into flexographic platemaking, Esko, being the trusted partner of Afflatus in the pre-press arena, got the opportunity to present its latest innovation in flexo, the CDI Crystal XPS. The superiority of Esko’s technology and the confidence of Afflatus in the former’s knowledge of flexo helped both the companies to forge this landmark partnership.”

Esko CDI Crystal’s automation through process integration reduces manual steps by 50%; its parallel process steps provides 30% faster access to plates compared to full HD and its modular system can be connected with CDI Crystal at later time.

CDI Crystal reduces operator interaction time per plates from 11 minutes (existing process) to five minutes. It has glass plate table for easy automatic unloading, combined main and back exposure with UV LED light and same floor relief over the entire plate always; and both CDI Crystal and XPS Crystal are each available as standalone device.